Sunday, Sept. 18
1–3:30 p.m.
Register onsite at Quirk, 12:30–12:50 p.m.
Proceeds benefit:
YWCA youth prevention programs
Friends of Children of Walla Walla
Sunrise Rotary
Eliminating racism, empowering women,
and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.
Trilogy Recovery Community and College Place Prevention Coalition (CPPC) joined YWCA this April and May in our community’s REDress Project.
Jaime Black started the REDress project in 2010 to represent missing Indigenous women and girls. Her first exhibition was in a museum in Winnipeg. (Photos on the Métis artist’s website show several of these powerful images.)
AWARENESS IS A START
April, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, is a time to address the community issue and campus issue of sexual violence.
But the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW) in the US and Canada reminds us that violence is also an intersectional issue.
That is, when social problems like violence and marginalization overlap, the harm is amplified.
In the US, Native American women are estimated to be more than twice as likely to experience violence as other groups. One in three Indigenous women is sexually assaulted during her lifetime, with 67 percent of the assaults made by non-Native perpetrators. On some reservations, in fact, Native women are killed at 10 times the national average.
PARTNERS JOIN YWCA
Lucinda Victorio, a School Recovery Support Ally & Advocate with Trilogy Recovery Community, worked with CPPC to spotlight Indigenous women lost in Washington state and create posters about their stories. These women have disappeared from their communities, some killed and some still missing.
Thank you to all the community members who displayed Red Dress yard signs about the project, displayed or donated red dresses, or shared a photo with the hashtag #MMIW.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Thanks to YWCA USA and our Board of Directors, staff members are empowered with new online tools and funding to promote rest and resilience.
“Wellness couldn’t be more important,”, said Executive Director Anne-Marie Zell Schwerin, “especially now.”
For the last two years, she said, “we have endured a lot at work and home.” We’ve survived the challenges, “but have we thrived?”
Our Wellness Committee plans include activities and recognition to help reconnect staff social ties that were strained during the many months we couldn’t gather. And a staff newsletter will offer self-care reminders.
“I’m really excited to be a part of the Wellness Committee,” said MFH Office Assistant Brea Green. “Mental health is super important to me and I love the goal of this program.”
Follow us on social media as we share some of the wellness tips we discover. Join us on the wellness journey!
“My hope,” said Anne-Marie, “is that we will build healthy habits together and strengthen our bonds as co-workers and fellow humans.”
Share your favorite health tip with us by emailing wellness@ywcaww.org.
IT’S NO SECRET that Anne-Marie Zell Schwerin, YWCA Executive Director, radiates positive exuberance in just about any situation.
But as noon on Wednesday, May 4, approaches, she is even more joyful than usual because of the upcoming luncheon.
“As giddy as I am about being back in person,” said Anne-Marie, “I don’t want anyone to feel bad if they choose to attend virtually.”
The 2022 luncheon will be our first hybrid event – one where guests in the ballroom and people watching from home will have similar experiences.
“The point is to be together,” said Anne-Marie. “While I can’t wait to see people in person again, I’ll be beaming my hugs and good vibes to everyone streaming the luncheon from home. We need your virtual presence, too!”
LEADING WITH LOVE
In these trying times, staying positive and hopeful is difficult. Most of us are overwhelmed and exhausted. Some of us are even a bit jaded.
“Leading with Love,” said keynote speaker and Providence St. Mary’s Manager of Population Health, Becky Betts, “is the message we need to hear right now.”
She will share uplifting stories and treasured life lessons to help us meet our challenges with kindness, compassion, and love. Love, she believes, is “a creative and problem-solving force that ignites imagination and goodwill.”
You will leave inspired to build genuine human connections to heal our homes, community, and world.
YWCA SPONSORS ARE THE BEST
“We have been grateful for the constant support of our sponsors and friends over the past two years as we’ve been finding new ways of doing events,” said Kirsten Schober, Events and Donor Engagement Coordinator.
“It took a while to determine what would be possible this year, but our partners jumped right in as soon as we asked for their help.”
Our sponsors, Kirsten said, “provide solutions to abuse and homelessness that change lives for the better. We are so grateful!”
Names of leaders and links to each of their local YWCA chapters are at the bottom of this post.
On a blustery Walla Walla morning in late September, I logged into a zoom call with Michelle Tehedy, an 18-year-old YWCA leader from Soweto, South Africa. From the ten members of the 2021 World YWCA Leadership Cohort, we were partnered and asked to discuss the issues and solutions from our communities related to gender-based violence (GBV).
Michelle’s energy was contagious across the screen, and yet, despite her glowing smile, she admitted that she was exhausted after a week facilitating a multi-day GBV training course on for 150 youth in her community. We bonded over the inevitable tension of working in the field of GBV prevention, as stories of suffering and loss parallel those of survival and profound fortitude. We were united by our love of dance and our belief that to end gender based violence we must create space to hear the voices of youth.
“Feminism is not just an ideal that should be reached by all people, but more specifically, young men.” — Michelle
Over the past three months as a member of the Leadership Cohort, I have been working and learning alongside nine other young women changemakers like Michelle from YWCA chapters in India, Kenya, Palestine, South Africa, South Sudan, Taiwan, and Zimbabwe. We are:
Board Members. Students. Activists. Filmmakers. Poets. Social Workers. Dancers. Organizers. Mothers. Sisters.
Together, across a 16-hour time difference between Walla Walla and Taipei, we share our stories, co-create works of art, and participate in leadership development sessions with powerhouse women leaders including:
I am endlessly grateful for the opportunity to learn about global issues related to Gender Based Violence, and to showcase the amazing work being done in Walla Walla with the larger YWCA community. In the next few weeks, the Leadership Cohort Members will all be submitting blog posts to the platform World YWCA She Speaks which works to amplify young women’s voices.
With love,
Amara Killen
Prevention Advocate and Human Rights Activist
Please follow up to read our stories, and, if you are a young woman, girl, or female-identified youth, you can submit a blog post yourself to share your voice with the world. We want to hear your story!
Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or comments to me at akillen@ywcaww.org.
Pictured, from top left to bottom right: Maria Dorothy Padua from YWCA Secunderabad, India, Lara Khammash from YWCA Palestine, Michelle Mpho Tehedy from YWCA South Africa, Yvonne Anyango Ogollah from YWCA Kisumu, Kenya, Amara Killen from YWCA Walla Walla, USA, Runyararo Tembani from YWCA Zimbabwe, Latto Catherine Fred Tartisio from YWCA South Sudan, Angela (Zih-Han) Liu from YWCA Taipei, Taiwan, Nsreen Habet from YWCA Palestine, Annie Kumar from YWCA Secunderabad, India
The Valley Giving Guide (VGG) raised more than $2.5 million in December 2021 for 131 different nonprofits. The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin announced the results in an article published January 3, 2021.
“Our community is filled with many, many organizations doing important work. It was an honor to be part of this effort, and we are grateful to the Blue Mountain Community Foundation (BMCF). The website they created, the fees they covered, the match they arranged…they set all of us up for success,” said Executive Director Anne-Marie Zell Schwerin.
The giving guide owes a debt to the Sustainable Living Center (SLC) for introducing the Alternative Gift Fair back in 2018, a way to give mindfully and meaningfully during what is often a season of material excess. When BMCF first took on the project in 2020, the “All In Washington” matching funds caused unprecedented excitement around giving. And this year, a promised 10% match kept enthusiasm high.
“I’m so grateful for gifts of all sizes,” Schwerin said. “We received 138 donations, and some of those were from people completely new to our mission. I think the giving guide made that happen. It introduced an amazing group of caring people to causes they might not have been aware of.”
In 2021, all our end-of-year fundraising was all directed through BMCF instead of directly to YWCA. Here’s why:
No. 1: The matching pool. Thanks to several corporate and individual donors, gifts grew by about 10 percent!
No. 2: No card fees. BMCF covered card fees for all online* gifts.
No. 3: To spread the love. The guide was full of other essential community partners that also needed support.
In addition to meeting the 2021 operating budget, gifts this year will allow us to fully support one of our most transformative programs, Living in New Circumstances (LiNC). The LiNC program was facing a shortfall from changes to the way crime victims’ services are funded, and now the program is in a strong position, “This is great news for survivors working to build independent lives,” said Schwerin.
UPDATE: You stepped up in a big way in November. WOW. Thank you. We found all the donors needed to cover this year’s selected families. If you would still like to help, we accept gift cards any time of year to help with emergency needs, and we share specific needs all through the year on our Facebook page.
We need your help pairing 48 families with donors to help them feel the joy of the season. We still need about 16 more donors or organizations to pitch in to cover families. If we have completed forms by December 6, we can still assemble packages in time. (This year’s early Hanukkah will end then, but that has already been covered.)
Most of the families in shelter will benefit most from gift cards ($75 per person is a suggested budget figure). We will bundle these with a few goodies and fun little stocking stuffers like cozy socks. (Or you can make up a basket yourself.)
Why gift cards? Some moms may never have had the opportunity to buy gifts for their family. Or they may not be in the position this year to buy gifts as they start building independent lives. For them, a gift card is empowering, a gift of dignity.
Gift cards are wonderful anytime of year for Advocates to have on hand, but especially around the holidays, when families arrive in the shelter too late for us to pair them with donors. And we keep various gifts and games ready for when new children arrive. Sometimes we even set aside toy donations from the holidays for this.
Another group of families are trying to stay in their own homes right now and would love to have donors provide gifts or clothes that their children have requested. When many struggling moms receive a Visa or Walmart gift card, it’s hard to use it for a special toy or fashion item when they’re having trouble paying for groceries and heat. For them, the best of both worlds is for donors to provide requested gifts for a holiday celebration, and then also tuck in grocery store or Visa cards for necessities.
Last year, over 45 women were able to enjoy the 2020 holidays with their families even as they struggled to build new lives. Recovering from the trauma of domestic violence is always difficult, but navigating the path to healing during a pandemic was particularly challenging and the support meant so much.
We will contact you to find the giving opportunity that best fits your budget and schedule.
You will see a field in the form where you can type in questions; however please feel free to reach out at any time. Email Kirsten at kschober@ywcaww.org or call 509-525-2570 during office hours.
It’s YWCA Domestic Violence Action Month. Here are some concrete actions you can take to make the world safer. And to make our local community safer, consider a YWCA gift today.
Email your representatives in Congress to support vital funding increases for survivors in fiscal year 2023 appropriations.
You may instead wish to contact them via social media. (Thank you to Triage Cancer for compiling the Twitter handles of all US Senators.)
The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) is at the heart of our nation’s response to domestic violence services. Congress must continue to ensure that when survivors take the courageous step to reach out for support, funding for lifesaving services and resources are there for them and their children.
Please join us in urging every Representative to vote “YES” on the FVPSA Improvement bill (H.R. 2119). Enter your name and address, and this form will bring up your House Representative and a template you can use to customize and send an email.
H.R. 1620 passed with bipartisan support, and we need every senator working to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act IMMEDIATELY. We cannot allow this critical support to lapse. Email your senators asking them to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, even if your senator is already supportive. Knowing how many of their constituents support a piece of legislation matters.
Learn myths and facts about H.R. 1620, which already passed the House, and read why Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers voted against it.
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Washington (MMIWW) creates change by collaborating with and educating Tribal, City, County, State, and Federal Government Officials. MMIWW encourages them to pass laws, proclamations, resolutions, and create regulations towards better protections for Indigenous People.
Read her story, then sign the petition to Free Maddesyn George.
Here are some ways you can support a friend.
On a warm July evening, members of the Leadership Circle and past YWCA board members gathered to celebrate resilience and optimism at Foundry Vineyards.
“Spirits were high, bright persimmon clothing was abundant, and everyone was simply thrilled to be meeting face to face,“ Executive Director Anne-Marie Zell Schwerin said.
At the time, the so-called fourth wave of the pandemic had not yet hit Walla Walla County, and to our knowledge, thanks to a high percentage of vaccinated guests, no COVID transmission has resulted from the in-person gathering.
Table conversations centered around questions posed by our 2021 luncheon speaker, author and life coach Molly Davis.
Where do we go from here?
What is ours to do?
Of the many changes the past 16 months have brought to our lives, we discovered how grateful we are for some of those changes. For others…not so much.
The parts of quarantine we enjoyed most? Many found more time for reflective walks. “Walking was my discovery. My peace.”
Many found a renewed sense of gratitude to all who helped us get through the pandemic – the vaccination clinic folks, the UPS truck driver, the mail carrier.
Our outside activities moved inside our homes, meaning shared Wi-Fi, meeting spaces…a “tight family time” that was as challenging as it was a gift.
“Living daily with my family was scary and wonderful at the same time – exhausting and energizing,” said one mom.
We also learned to make do with less, to live on less, to enjoy simple pleasures like baking bread and making casseroles. “I’m able to be alone and to be content alone.”
The consensus of the assembled guests was that we really didn’t need all that toilet paper! In fact, someone shared that her new shopping motto is, “If I can’t eat it, I don’t need it!”
For some of our guests, COVID forced new life choices, and nearly everyone reported that the pandemic led to a massive personal change of some kind.
Where do we go from here? “We can leave behind intolerance and hate and take our resilience, flexibility, and grace into the future.”
And most agreed on another thing we can happily leave behind: “hard” pants. (Because comfy pants rule.)
